Leigh on a Green Sofa 1993

Lucian Freud’s painting, Leigh on a Green Sofa, captures a figure in a state of repose, maybe even introspection, through layers of oil paint. Imagine the slow build up, the way Freud worked, adding flesh tones mixed with greens, and the ochres of the sofa, building up a real sense of weight, mass and vulnerability. I feel for Leigh, all twisted up on that green sofa. He is a bit of a presence, isn't he? Those knuckles pressed against his forehead, the weight of his head in his hands. I wonder, what was he thinking at that moment? Freud has this incredible way of making the paint itself become like skin, all those brushstrokes working together to create this feeling of… humanity. It makes me think about other artists who have explored the body, like Jenny Saville, or even Titian. This is not just a painting of a person, it’s about the act of seeing, feeling, and the conversation that artists have with each other across time. Each brushstroke, each color choice, is a question, an answer, a new beginning.